A Johnson City woman has pleaded not guilty in Broome County Court to charges she had inappropriate sexual contact in 2012 with a male resident of a state-operated alternative group home in the Town of Dickinson.

Joyce D. Prince, 38, was indicted June 27 by a Broome County grand jury for a felony count of third-degree criminal sexual act and a misdemeanor count of endangering the welfare of a child.

She pleaded not guilty June 30. The case is expected to go to trial before Judge Martin E. Smith, though no date has been set.

State police said an investigation found Prince, while she was employed in the state-operated Prospect 1 SOIRA group home, engaged in inappropriate sexual contact with an unidentified developmentally disabled male resident. The alleged victim was 16 years old at the time of the incident, court papers said.

The group home is operated by the state Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD).

Prince, who was employed by the state for 13 years, is accused of committing the illegal sexual act in early September 2012, according to court papers.

Prince’s defense lawyer, Ronald Benjamin of Binghamton, said the allegations of the person being sexually abused by his client lack any merit. The case could go to trial sometime this fall, he said.

“It’s a totally ridiculous case,” Benjamin said. “We would like to get her exonerated.”

In December 2013, an arbitration hearing regarding Prince’s employment determined allegations were not credible enough to terminate her, according to court records.

Prince remains on administrative leave until the criminal case is resolved, Benjamin said.

Prince was released on her own recognizance after the arraignment in county court.